Chapter 8 of The Sign of Silence is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Sign of Silence is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CONTAINS FURTHER EVIDENCE. "Sir Digby Kemsley was here an hour ago, sir. He couldn't wait!" Haines exclaimed, bringing himself to attention. "Sir Digby!"
Chapter 8 of The Sign of Silence is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
in the past
From this reading “"Sir Digby Kemsley was here an hour ago, sir.”
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading “Haines exclaimed, bringing himself to attention.”
the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)
From this reading “Haines exclaimed, bringing himself to attention.”
third-person singular of “contain” — include or contain; have as a component
From this reading “CONTAINS FURTHER EVIDENCE.”
your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief
From this reading “CONTAINS FURTHER EVIDENCE.”
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “Haines exclaimed, bringing himself to attention.”
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading “CONTAINS FURTHER EVIDENCE.”
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “He couldn't wait!"”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
in the past
From this reading "Sir Digby Kemsley was here an hour ago, sir.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Sir Digby Kemsley was here an hour ago, sir.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading Haines exclaimed, bringing himself to attention.
the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)
From this reading Haines exclaimed, bringing himself to attention.
third-person singular of “contain” — include or contain; have as a component
From this reading CONTAINS FURTHER EVIDENCE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He couldn't wait!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Sir Digby Kemsley was here an hour ago, sir.
your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief
From this reading CONTAINS FURTHER EVIDENCE.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading Haines exclaimed, bringing himself to attention.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading CONTAINS FURTHER EVIDENCE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Haines exclaimed, bringing himself to attention.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He couldn't wait!"
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Sir Digby Kemsley was here an hour ago, sir.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Haines exclaimed, bringing himself to attention.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading "Sir Digby Kemsley was here an hour ago, sir.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Sir Digby Kemsley was here an hour ago, sir.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Sir Digby Kemsley was here an hour ago, sir.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Haines exclaimed, bringing himself to attention.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading He couldn't wait!"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Sir Digby Kemsley was here an hour ago, sir.
Chapter 8 of The Sign of Silence by William Le Queux holds 149 sentences, grouped into 30 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 8 holds 149 sentences of The Sign of Silence, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Sign of Silence by William Le Queux exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 149 sentences, grouped into 30 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 8 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The Sign of Silence by William Le Queux on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5036 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30477 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30477, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 419 minutes of reading across 1008 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sign of Silence section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Sign of Silence to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Sign of Silence, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
